``serious`` listeners, which is their loss, considering the charms of recordings such as this. Granted, works such as ``Carnival of the Animals`` do not probe deeply into the psyche, nor are they meant to. Instead, like much of Saint-Saens` music, the pieces included here are bright and clever works that showcase the composer`s considerable craft.

Ian Hobson and the Sinfonia da Camera are based at the University of Illinois/Urbana, but they`re gaining an international reputation with recordings on Arabesque. The performances are meticulous and enthusiastic, particularly in the original chamber version of ``Carnival of the Animals.``